Health News

Despite The Promises, Children Still Bombarded With Junk Food Ads

Date: Jul-18-2013
Advertising of junk food continues to undermine children's health despite the food industry's pledges that they would restrict their marketing activities, according to a systematic review of evidence published today in the scientific journal Obesity Reviews.  The review examines children's exposure to advertisements for food and beverages high in sugar and fat, and found that independent surveys in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America showed little change in the last five years, despite industry's assurances that things would improve...

Medications Can Alter Perception Of Taste And Smell - Beauty Is In The Eye Of A "Med" Holder

Date: Jul-18-2013
"Beauty is in the eye of a beholder" - there is nothing more classic than this statement. It's been passed from one generation to another, but only few know that this expression was first used by an Irish writer Margaret Wolfe Hungerford. What could make the statement as profound as this one untrue? Medications. This article talks about seemingly harmless pills altering the perception of beauty, specifically, as it relates to the beauty of intimacy. Beauty is highly subjective. Perception of beauty is driven by our own lenses on the world...

How Do Tick-Borne Diseases Evade The Tick's Immune System?

Date: Jul-18-2013
Ticks, blood-sucking arthropods that occur across the world, can transmit viruses, bacteria, and protozoa that threaten the health of their vertebrate hosts. Dangerous diseases transmitted by ticks include Lyme disease, which attacks humans in Europe and the USA and is caused by Borrellia bacteria; babesiosis, caused by the protozoan Babesia (a relative of the malaria parasite) that infects pets, cattle, and sometimes humans; and anaplasmosis, caused by the Anaplasma bacterium, which can have serious effects on cattle...

Why Be Medicinewise? Ask Your Doctor The Right Questions

Date: Jul-18-2013
NPS MedicineWise is highlighting the importance of asking your doctor the right questions about your medicines and medical tests.  GP and clinical adviser at NPS MedicineWise, Dr Andrew Boyden, says that being an active partner in your own health care is the best way to get medicinewise and make the most of your visit to the doctor.  "Asking your doctor questions will help you get better results from your medicines, avoid side effects , understand the risks and benefits of medical tests, and enjoy better health - which is something we all want," says Dr Boyden...

Amputee Says, "It's Like Having My Leg Back!"

Date: Jul-18-2013
Following the successful first ever fitting of the revolutionary BiOM ankle system in Europe last year, Pace Rehabilitation has continued to provide seven of its leg amputee patients with clinical trials of the sophisticated electronic device. Initial patient feedback has been very positive, including one below the knee amputee who commented, "It's like having my leg back!" The BiOM offers unique function, by providing the user with a powered assistance as they walk and when negotiating stairs...

OncoGenex Announces Completion Of Patient Enrollment In The Borealis-1(TM) Trial Of OGX-427 In Metastatic Bladder Cancer

Date: Jul-18-2013
OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OGXI) today announced that enrollment has been completed in Borealis-1™, a company-sponsored, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial of OGX-427 in combination with first-line gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with metastatic bladder cancer. Approximately 180 patients have been randomized into Borealis-1 at 55 clinical sites throughout North America and Europe. The three-arm trial randomized patients to receive gemcitabine, cisplatin, and OGX-427 at two dose-levels (600 mg or 1000 mg) vs. gemcitabine, cisplatin, and placebo...

Mortality Rates For Emergency Surgical Admissions Vary Widely Among Hospitals In England

Date: Jul-18-2013
A new study reveals significant hospital-to-hospital variability in patient death rates following emergency surgical admissions in England. Published early online in the BJS (British Journal of Surgery), the study also found that survival rates were higher in hospitals with better resources. Patients presenting as emergencies account for the majority of deaths associated with general surgery...

Psychological Impact Of Multiple Cancer Surgeries For Gorlin Syndrome Patients Highlighted By New Patient Group Research

Date: Jul-18-2013
The Gorlin Syndrome Group, campaigning to help people with a rare genetic skin cancer, today launched new research highlighting the significant impact of multiple surgeries on patients' wellbeing. The survey, presented today at the European Association of Dermato Oncology (EADO) Congress, revealed that almost half (48%) of patients endure more than 20 surgical procedures although only 15% are offered counselling throughout diagnosis and treatment...

A Mutant Strain Of Zebrafish Is An Alternative Model For Rett Syndrome In Humans

Date: Jul-18-2013
An important challenge for neuroscientists is to find cures for diseases that affect the central nervous system, such as autism, Alzheimer's, or Parkinson's disease. For this purpose, researchers use several vertebrate species as model organisms. The zebrafish has recently received much attention because it has many advantages over other vertebrate models. For example, development of its nervous system can be followed from its earliest stages in naturally behaving individuals...

'Lessons Learned' Using Electronic Clinical Data To Improve Patient Care

Date: Jul-18-2013
Research using electronic clinical data (ECD) has the potential to make major contributions to health care research and improve patient outcomes. However, many complex issues remain unanswered. A special August supplement to Medical Care presents an update from the Electronic Data Methods (EDM) Forum, with a commissioned set of papers discussing "challenges and innovations from the research and QI community using ECD." Medical Care is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health...